


Day 2: A Secret Shimada Name (Nicknames/Pet Names)

by 8_Shoop_de_woops



Series: Genyatta Week 2018 [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Genji Headcanons, M/M, The Shimadas Are Little Shits, Zenyatta Backstory Headcanon, implied mchanzo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 20:10:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13688937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8_Shoop_de_woops/pseuds/8_Shoop_de_woops
Summary: A nickname is something normally used to just shorten the name of a friend, but Genji's personal nickname for Zenyatta has a special place in his heart.





	Day 2: A Secret Shimada Name (Nicknames/Pet Names)

**Author's Note:**

> First off, I apologize for not keeping up with the stories/days on time, but I promise I will eventually get them all done! Second off, this is mainly just a personal goal, but I thought I'd let you know that I'm gonna try and make each work in this series at least 1000 words. Also, I did quite a bit of research for this story, and I just hope I get the facts straight and do it justice. Okay you can read the fic now I'm sorry.

After such a grueling mission, the Orca was a beautiful sight for sore eyes....and legs, and arms, and everything else. Six of Overwatch's members--Hana, Lúcio, Orisa, Genji, Hanzo, and Zenyatta--had been sent to help protect the researchers at the Ilios ruins from a sudden Talon attack. "They were most likely looking to capture a hostage for information and/or ransom," Zenyatta had suggested on their way back to the rendezvous point. Everyone agreed with his theory; Zenyatta tended to be right when it came to the enemies' motivations...and they were just too tired to think of another explanation at the moment. Whatever it was, Talon must have really wanted it; it had been one of the tougher battles the organization had fought recently. Despite this, the group had seen no trace of the infamous Talon agents Reaper, Widowmaker, or Sombra. This meant they had no lead on where the main part of Talon was residing or what they were planning, but it also meant that they didn't have to go on a wild goose chase trying to follow what they thought was an agent. Bodies weak but spirits strong, the team trudged onto the ship, strapped on their seat belts, and gave a collective sigh of relief as they headed home, knowing that this break was not going to last.

Once at the base, the members entered single-file into the meeting room to get their mission summary from Winston and Soldier 76(but everyone except Orisa and Efi called him Jack). Hana, Lúcio, and Zenyatta stood the closest to the holo-board, with Orisa sitting down in the back, and the Shimada brothers standing near the wall. "Alright, soldiers," Jack began, "time for your mission summaries. Orisa, you held the team together well using your shield, but you missed some easy chances to group the henchmen together with your gravity ability." "I will send my performance analysis to Efi for more details," Orisa replied, her eyes becoming static as she transferred her information from the battle to Efi's computer.(For safety reasons, she only has direct communications with Efi's work computer while she is in the watchpoint or another Overwatch-safe space; it would be too easy for Talon or anyone else to use it as a way to get private information, should she be taken hostage.) "Hanzo, you took down many enemies, but you strayed away from your teammates, risking a split if you had been badly injured," Jack continued. Hanzo merely nodded and grunted in affirmation, then continued to wait patiently for everyone else's reports so he could leave. "Genji, your deflections were a bit off in timing, but you stuck near your supports when they were being targeted, so all-in-all, good job." Genji scoffed and responded, “It was nothing!", remembering the gratitude he had felt radiating off of Zenyatta when the fight was over. "Lúcio, your maneuver near the edge of the cliff was extremely risky, but you managed to push a good chunk of them off the edge, so well done." Lúcio's beaming smile could be felt all throughout the room. "Hana, your statistics are relatively good, but you called in more MEKAs then you normally do. Make sure to be more careful about damaging those suits," Jack warned. "Okay, sure," Hana said nonchalantly, scrolling through her phone. "I'm being serious Hana; those things are expensive," Jack said worriedly. "It's true; the average cost we spend for them has increased by thirteen percent," Winston added. "It's fine, I'll be more careful," she replied, still not looking up from her phone. Jack walked up to her, forcefully pushed away her phone, and growled, "It _won't_ be fine when the Korean military decides to pull you out to make another movie for extra money to fund your MEKAs. And how long would the shooting take? Eight, ten, twelve weeks? And what about when you have to fight for your country against that giant omnic? Who knows when that could happen? Focus more on the battlefield, not your fame and fans, 'D.va'." Embarrassed at his outburst, Hana shamefully looked away and answered, "Y-yes sir." Sighing, Jack straightened up and looked back at the holo-board. "Finally, Zenyatta. Your damage and healing output were remarkably higher than your average. Great work." "Good job, Zenny!" Lúcio complimented as he patted Zenyatta on the back. Genji chuckled quietly and muttered, "More like _Zennyo Ryūō_." Glancing over at his brother's bulging eyes, he realized that Hanzo had heard him.

Frozen in place, Genji watched, horrified, as Hanzo smirked and barely held back a laugh. He leaned forward slightly and covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes never leaving Genji's emotionless visor. He imagined Genji's abashed face behind his mask and had to redouble his efforts to contain his laughter. Suddenly, Jack voice cut through the room. "Somethin' funny over there, Mr Shimadas?" he asked, his icy tone drawing everyone's attention to the two of them. With Genji still being too stunned to speak, Hanzo quickly recovered with, "It is nothing, Commander; merely an inside joke within the family." "Alright, well, save your joking around until after the summary," Jack reminded them. Finally finding his voice, Genji joined with Hanzo in replying, "Yes, sir." With Jack's voice fading into the background again, Genji looked back at Hanzo and saw that he still wore a smug grin on his face. Glaring, he pulled his fingers across where his mouth would be to indicate that he should keep quiet about it. Hanzo repeated his "zipped lips" motion and turned back towards Morrison. Satisfied for the moment, Genji tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Jack say, "Good job soldiers; just remember to work on what I told you about. You're dismissed." Starting with Orisa, the members slowly filed out of the meeting room and started to go about the rest of their day. While leaving, Genji heard Zenyatta call his name. "Yes, master?" he asked, turning around to face him. "Are you alright? You seemed upset when Commander Morrison brought attention to you and your brother," Zenyatta asked with concern. Seeing Hanzo linger in the corner of his eye, he calmly replied, "It was nothing, master; like Hanzo said, it was a familial joke." "I understand. Shall we begin our routine?" Zenyatta suggested. Genji smiled behind his visor and said, "Yes, let's." 

Genji and Zenyatta's daily routine consisted of five main activities: gardening, rebuilding, chores, training, and meditation. First on their list was gardening; they helped Bastion tend to his ever-growing farm of plants. Genji counted how many of each plant there was, while Zenyatta classified it and took inventory. Though today, Genji was more distracted than usual and had to recount some of the crops; at one point, he was so absorbed in thought, he stood completely still in the middle of the field. Bastion became worried and shook him a little too violently to see if he was okay. Landing in the dirt, Genji finally came back from his thinking; he stood up, dusted off his plating, and reassured the omnic that he was fine, just a little "shaken". (It took Bastion a minute, but he recognized the joke and gave a series of beeps and whirrs that mimicked a chortle.) Next was rebuilding; ever since Zenyatta showed him the old room he was helping to rebuild with Bastion, Reinhardt, and Torbjörn, Genji had insisted on assisting them as well.(If that wasn't enough, he had also reminded them that he was sort of both omnic _and_ human, so they had to let him help at that point.) Since the inside was almost completely fixed up, they decided to work on the outside; clearing away moss, scraping off old paint, and reinstalling broken parts of the wall were all included in this day's work. Once again, Genji grew distant as he absent-mindedly pulled off tangles of vines and moss from the walls; Zenyatta had to call his name three times before he snapped back to the present. "Are you sure you are alright?" he asked, a note of distress in his synthesized voice. "I assure you, I am fine master," Genji repeated. "Just a little...distracted is all. It is nothing." Zenyatta knew he couldn't force Genji to open up to him, so he let the topic go. Meanwhile, Genji knew he couldn't keep this from his teacher, or else he might crack from the guilt of it; he was glad to separate from Zenyatta when the third activity came up: chores. Today, Genji had to wash and fold the laundry; it didn't seem like much, until he realized just how many members wore clothes. He didn't complain too much, though; it kept him away from Zenyatta and away from the tension he felt building between them. Genji found it ironic that he, a person who rarely wore clothes(unless for special occasions or for undercover missions), had to fold laundry. The thought made him chuckle for a second, before his thoughts began to drift again. Simultaneously, in the kitchen, Zenyatta was helping to prepare ingredients for dinner. He also found irony in the fact that he, an omnic who didn't need to eat, was assisting in creating food for consumption. However, he didn't mind; he thought of it as a way to understand different food cultures, which were an important part of human culture as a whole. When everyone was finished with whatever chore or action they had planned, they all joined together in the mess hall to eat the food made by whoever was the chef that day. Genji tended to eat away from everyone, seeing how his damaged digestion system wasn't as good as processing whole foods(The hardest thing he could eat were al dente noodles; any candy had to be sucked on and whittled down, and he had to make sure to eat slowly.); he smiled at his plate when he realized that Zenyatta had carefully made his food more pastelike, something he normally had to do himself. Each bite had the consistency of oatmeal, but the vivid flavor of whatever Zenyatta had made.

Next up was training: a strange activity to do after dinner, but it worked for them. Zenyatta was in one part of the floor, practicing his throws and when and where to keep his Harmony and Discord orbs. Nearby, Genji was working on his aim with his two shuriken patterns: direct and fan. Unfortunately for him, Hanzo also used this time to practice his archery, and Genji was sure that he purposefully chose the area near him to taunt him about his secret. Luckily, Genji had a few tricks up his nonexistent sleeves. "How goes your practice, brother?" Hanzo asked, a strange note of cheer in his tone. "Much better than usual, brother," Genji replied in the same fake-cheery voice. "You seem to practice very close to your....teacher," Hanzo taunted in an obvious, loud voice to make sure Zenyatta could "overhear". "It makes it easier to recognize each other's strengths and weaknesses," Genji calmly replied. "Though I don't see much of a reason for you to pay attention to McCree's aim," he hastily added with a devilish grin. He held back a giggle as he saw Hanzo's face turn a light shade of pink as Jesse glanced over, hearing his name. "Beg your pardon?" he asked, confused. Ignoring him, Hanzo responded, "Jesse and I frequently go on missions together--" "Oh?" Genji interrupts, his smile widening under his visor. Hanzo glared knives at him as he continued, "--yes, and it is imperative that we learn each other's strategies to better our input to the team. Though your...master--" he added, taking his turn to smile, "--seems to quite enjoy spending time with you outside of lessons." "The same could be said for you and your cowboy," Genji retorted. He smiled triumphantly as he heard Jesse mutter, " _Your_ cowboy?" Realizing that any further escalation would most likely result in a fight, Zenyatta rested his hand on Genji's shoulder and suggested, "Genji, we should leave; I believe now is a good time to begin our meditation session." "'Meditation session'?" Hanzo repeated, a smirk on his already pompous face. Genji harrumphed and turned to follow his master. Hearing Hanzo laugh behind him, he waited and pulled the last straw: "I can't wait to see Jesse in that _okami_ suit of yours." Getting a final glimpse of Hanzo's terrified face and McCree's slow expression of realization, Genji dashed away to meet Zenyatta in his room.

"Do you wish to tell me what that was about?" Zenyatta asked as Genji walked into his room and closed the door. "...He started it," Genji lamely used as an excuse. "Yes, I believe it started with me, your 'teacher'," Zenyatta recalled. "Do you care to explain?" "I..." Genji stuttered. "Genji, if this is what has been distracting you all day and it includes me, please enlighten me on what it is. Am I being a bad teacher?" Zenyatta theorized with worry. "No, no, it's not that, it's just--" Genji stumbled over his words, then took a deep breath. He knew he was going to have to do this eventually; it was time to come clean. "Zenyatta, I had--have, a personal nickname for you," Genji started. "A...nickname?" Zenyatta repeated in surprise; was that all this was about? "Yes. it was--is...erm... _Zennyo Ryūō_ ," Genji finally confessed. It took Zenyatta a minute to process the words, then used his inner translation system to ask, "'Goodness-like dragon king'?" "It is a myth about a dragon who lived in a cave on Mount _Murō_ ," Genji quickly explained. "As wielders of the dragons, we were taught about our ancestors and distant cousins. Anyway, the story goes that _Zennyo_ originally lived in a pond, as most dragons do, until a palace lady drowned there. He then fled to a pond in Mount _Kasuga_ , until a body was thrown into that pond. He finally left and stayed in the caves of Mount _Murō_. Years later, a priest went into the caves to see him, but he told the priest to travel to a certain spot. When the priest arrived, _Zennyo_ rose from the ground, donning a robe and crown, then vanished. A shrine was built in that very spot; I remember traveling to it," Genji reminisced fondly. "It was...my favorite legend," he added shyly.

Zenyatta hovered silent, understanding the story piece-by-piece. Finally, he said, "To nickname me after a favorite dragon king...that is very kind of you, Genji." Genji felt his inner fans kick on from his master's admiration. "The story seems to mostly fit as well," he continued. "The palace lady in the pond...why, I could relate that to my brother, Mondatta." Genji froze in his tracks. "M-Master?" he asked, slightly disturbed. But Zenyatta paid him no mind as he kept going. "I certainly did not 'flee', but I distanced myself from the Shambali quite a bit," Zenyatta connected. "And the corpse thrown in the pond...it reminds me of the accusation from a town I visited. An omnic wanted to join me on my travels and learn more about the Iris, but his boss, fearing that the omnic would turn on him if he gained this higher level of sentience, killed him. He then blamed me for trying to start another uprising, and I had to flee the town." "Master..." Genji repeated in shock; he had never heard this story before. "And finally, Mount _Murō_. That would be when I was returning to Nepal, and the priest...was you," Zenyatta turned to Genji as he finished his sentence. "And the shrine built is our relationship," he continued, "with many people visiting and contributing to make it blossom." Genji removed his visor as he felt tears well up in his eyes; his master always had a way with words. "Zenyatta..." he murmured. He slowly leaned forward, then scooped Zenyatta into a hug. Feeling his teacher's reassuring hands on his back, he held more tightly and said in a thick voice, "I...I never knew that--" "I was planning on telling you the story at a good time," Zenyatta explained. "I merely took the opportunity." Genji nodded, then buried his face into Zenyatta's shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, two pillars supporting each other. When they finally pulled away, Zenyatta asked, "Does this mean I could call you a name like _Ryūjin_?" " _The_ 'Dragon God'?" Genji asked. He laughed and replied, "Hanzo wouldn't be happy with that." Zenyatta chuckled and responded, "Hanzo wouldn't need to know," "Then I suppose it wouldn't be too bad, _Zennyo_ ," Genji answered, softly kissing Zenyatta's faceplate as he felt the vibrations of his synthetic laugh travel through his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: I was originally going to use a myth about dragons eating sparrows as a sort of backstory element for Genji, but after some digging, it turned out to be more of a Chinese legend than a Japanese one, so I decided to change it to be safe.


End file.
